1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a solar collector for converting solar energy into heat, comprised of a multiplicity of collector elements which can be mounted on the outside of a building or the like, which can be coupled to each other, and which can be connected to a heat transfer fluid system, each of said elements comprising a heat absorber with a channel in which a heat-carrying (heat transfer) fluid circulates and a transparent cover which comprises two inclined surfaces at approximately a right angle to each other, with each of the two surfaces forming an acute angle with the base.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a known solar collector of this type, which known collector is intended to be attached to vertical surfaces of a structure German laid open spec. OLS, the individual collector elements in their bottom area are in the form of heat absorbers with a channel formed by a continuous chamber, which channel in the mounted condition extends horizontally, and one end of said channel is the inlet tube for the heat transfer fluid and the other end is the outlet tube for said fluid, wherewith said channel is couplable to the corresponding channel of the adjacent collector element, which second channel lines up with it. The wider covering surfaces of the collector elements each form an angle of about 70.degree. with the horizontal. The solar irradiation thus is incident on the covering surface, and particularly the heat absorber, at an angle which deviates more or less substantially from a right angle, so that the absorber surface is not optimally utilized. Use of the collector element is not suggested for every application, e.g. it is not suggested for a horizontal roof surface, because of even more unfavorable solarization conditions.
In another known solar collector German Utility Model, in which the two surfaces, which form an angle of about 90.degree. with each other, form angles of about 45.degree. with the base, the particular surface which is oriented toward the direction of incidence of the solar irradiation when the sun is high in the sky is furnished with a heat absorber. At the yearly average lower sun position this orientation is somewhat different from optimum. In return for this disadvantage one obtains the possibility of mounting the identical solar collector practically unchanged on the vertical walls of a structure, for collecting energy. But also in this case the most favorable conditions for collecting solar irradiation do not pertain.
The above-described customary solar collectors additionally have the disadvantage with regard to their structure and their operation that they cannot be effectively mounted on inclined surfaces, such as for example sloping roofs.